Learn Hardcore Swedish: Min lärare tycker att man lär sig mer när man läser varje dag. - My teacher thinks that one learns more when one reads every day.

man is the generic subject pronoun meaning “one/you/people (in general).” In English you’d usually translate it as generic “you.” In informal Swedish, many speakers also use du generically. You may also see en used by some as a gender-neutral alternative to man in writing or dialectally.

Why is it lär sig and not just lär?

lära sig is the reflexive verb meaning “to learn.” Bare lära more often means “to teach,” especially with an object or with the particle ut:

Jag lär mig svenska. = I’m learning Swedish.
Min lärare lär oss svenska. = My teacher teaches us Swedish.
Min lärare lär ut svenska. = My teacher teaches Swedish (imparts knowledge).

Which reflexive pronoun goes with different subjects for lära sig?

jag: lär mig
du: lär dig
han/hon/den/det/man: lär sig
vi: lär oss
ni: lär er
de: lär sig With man, the reflexive object is always sig.

Why is it sig and not sin/sitt/sina?

sig is a reflexive object pronoun (as in lära sig “learn”). sin/sitt/sina are reflexive possessive determiners (“one’s own”). Compare:

Han lär sig svenska. = He is learning Swedish.
Han lär sin son svenska. = He teaches his own son Swedish.

Where would a word like inte go in this sentence?

In subordinate clauses introduced by att or när, sentence adverbs (like inte, ofta, alltid) come before the finite verb:

Min lärare tycker att man inte lär sig mer när man läser varje dag. Main clause vs. subclause:
Main: Man lär sig inte mer. (verb-second, adverb after the verb)
Subclause: att man inte lär sig mer (adverb before the verb)

Why is it när man läser, not när läser man?

Because it’s a subordinate time clause (“when/whenever”), not a direct question. In subclauses, Swedish does not use verb-second order:

Subclause: när man läser
Direct question: När läser man?

What’s the difference between tycker, tror, anser, and tycker om?

tycker (att) = think/hold an opinion (subjective judgment).
tror (att) = believe/assume (you think something is true).
anser (att) = consider/deem (formal/official opinion).
tycker om = like (as in “be fond of”): Min lärare tycker om att läsa.

What is att here—“that” or the infinitive “to,” and how can I tell?

Here att is the complementizer “that” introducing a clause (tycker att …). The infinitive att introduces a verb in its base form (att läsa = “to read”). Same spelling, different roles:

tycker att man lär sig … (that)
att läsa varje dag (to)

Can I drop att after tycker?

Often in informal speech, yes: Min lärare tycker man lär sig mer … In neutral/formal writing, keep att: tycker att.

Why is there no comma before att or när?

Swedish normally does not put a comma before standard att/när-clauses. You do use a comma if a long adverbial clause is fronted:

När man läser varje dag, tycker min lärare att man lär sig mer.

Does läser mean “read” or “study”?

Both, depending on context:

Jag läser en bok. = I’m reading a book.
Jag läser medicin. = I’m studying medicine. Casual synonym for “study” is plugga; more formal is studera.

Why mer and not fler?

mer = more (of an uncountable quantity or degree): lär sig mer (learn more).
fler = more (countable items): fler böcker (more books). Variant mera exists but is more old-fashioned/regional; mer is standard.

Why Min lärare and not min läraren?

With a possessive (min/mit/mitt/mitt/mina), Swedish uses the indefinite form and does not add the definite ending:

en lärare (a teacher), läraren (the teacher)
min lärare (my teacher), NOT min läraren Plural: lärare (teachers), lärarna (the teachers), mina lärare (my teachers)

Why varje dag and not varje dagen?

varje (“every/each”) always takes an indefinite singular noun: varje dag, varje vecka. Alternatives:

dagligen = daily (adverb)
varenda dag = every single day (emphatic)
alla dagar = all days (plural)

Can I use om instead of när?

Yes, with a nuance:

när = when/whenever (time-based, habitual truth): “whenever you read every day…”
om = if (conditional): “if you read every day…” Both can fit here; om highlights the condition, när the recurring situation.

Can I move varje dag or front the när-clause?

Inside the när-clause, keeping varje dag at the end is most natural: när man läser varje dag.
You can front the whole när-clause: När man läser varje dag, tycker min lärare att man lär sig mer. Note the main clause then follows verb-second order (tycker right after the comma).

What are the principal forms of the verbs here?

tycka: tycker (pres), tyckte (past), tyckt (supine)
lära (sig): lär (sig), lärde (sig), lärt (sig)
läsa: läser, läste, läst

Any pronunciation tips for tricky sounds?

tycker: y is a front rounded vowel; say English “ee” while rounding your lips.
lärare/läser: ä like the vowel in English “air,” but shorter/tenser.
sig: in standard speech often like “sigh” with a short i-glide; in Finland Swedish like “sigg.”